The Truth About Public Education Essay

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Camden Skinner
Mr. Theiss
Eng. 104
10/14/10
The Truth About Public Education
The best way to achieve excellence in the American society is to stand out in a crowd. When it comes to schooling, it is best to go above and beyond the required tasks, make subjects more interesting and less boring. Award winning educator John Taylor Gatto, teacher of New York City schools for more than twenty years, wrote many essays. One essay in particular deals with the basic principles of the American school system. The essay entitled “Against Schools” was written in a debatable manner. Gatto explains how the American education groups students, and actually dumb them down. I agree with Gatto on his views, because I felt that elementary and high school was very easy and boring.
As a thirty year teacher, Gatto was able to experience quite a bit with his students. The first topic discussed is about boredom. Not only are the students bored, but the teachers are bored as well. Gatto asked his students why they felt bored, the students always had the same answers. Either the students already knew the material, or they did not understand and the teacher did not know how to explain it properly. All teachers were once students. They sat through the same boring classes as their students are doing now. Gatto goes on to explain that boredom is a state of mind. If a person feels bored, it is because he or she needs to make it an obligation to amuse his or herself. Every person is at fault when it comes to American schooling being boring. Not only is it up to the teacher to make the class interesting, the students need to participate and show interest. Interestingly, the three main reasons it is important for schools to be around are: to make good people, to make good citizens, and to make each person his or her personal best. It is interesting because it is nowhere near the actual truth for the majority of students. Gatto feels these would be legitimate reasons, but...